Utah is the most generous state in the nation when it comes to charitable giving. Utah is a wealthy state with a large population of Mormons, who are known to customarily practice the biblical imperative of tithing. (Tithing means giving 10 percent of one’s income–a tithe–to those less fortunate.)
Utah didn’t quite average 10 percent, though the study by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, which tracks charitable giving, reports that Utah residents averaged almost $66 in giving for every $1,000 in earned income. Perhaps surprisingly, the next three states on the list are among the poorest in the nation–Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. New Hampshire, often described as flinty (definition: unyielding, stern), lived up to its adjective by placing last on the Chronicle list of charitable giving.
